Field of the Invention
Embodiments presented herein are generally directed to the training of animals to detect and respond to target scents/odors.
Related Art
Many animals, such as pigs, dogs, etc., have an acute sense of smell and are commonly used to detect “target” scents/odors, such as scents associated with drugs, explosives, biological substances, chemical substances, etc. For example, trained scent detection dogs are generally among the most reliable means for detecting dangerous or illegal materials, chemical materials, and/or biological materials by the scents which these materials emit and have the ability to do so at extremely low concentrations.
However, before a dog (or other animal) may be employed to perform scent-based detection work, it must first be trained to use its acute sense of smell to detect target scent material in a fast, accurate and reliable manner. In the early stages of training, detection canines (dogs) are typically manually trained by a handler or trainer to detect scents/odors emitted from target material. During a training session, a handler/trainer directs the search and guides the dog (or other animal) to different search locations to sniff for scents emitted from target material hidden at one or more of these locations. Once the target scent is detected and the dog demonstrates a particular desired response, the trainer provides the dog with a timely reward (e.g., food, treats, etc.). The timely pairing of rewards to target odors is important since it not only attaches significance to the target odor, but it also motivates the dog to seek and identify the odor. In essence, the reward more accurately imprints the learned and instinctive behavior associated with such detection work on the dog.